Abstract
The increasing popularity of the event sector in Ireland has had an effect on host communities in a positive and negative manner. This baseline comparative assessment highlights the current level of all 32 Irish local authorities socio-cultural planning provision and guidelines for event management. The research employed a content analysis methodology, which highlighted a lack of local authority social and cultural planning guidelines and indicators. The lessons learned from this study may have international implications for other event destinations and offers an opportunity for improvement by applying best practice socio-cultural indicators in guidelines for event management by local authorities.